Secrets
by Jason Thompson
Summary: When the argument at the end of "Dichotic" goes much worse, it's up to Pete to save the day. Clark/Lana


Secrets  
A Smallville Fanfiction Story  
Author: Jason Thompson  
Pilamsega@yahoo.com  
November 19, 2002  
  
Disclaimer:Once upon a time there was a guy he wrote a story with characters and settings he didn't own, but he put a disclaimer on his story and that made it a little less illegal. Smallville is owned by the people who own it, all of them not me. I don't own anything except the situation characters are in.   
  
Category:AU Clark/Lana primarily.   
  
Spoilers:Season 2 through Dichotic  
  
Warnings:  
  
Summary:When the conversation at the end of Dichotic goes differently, and much worse, Pete has to take drastic measures to salvage Clark's relationship with Lana.   
  
Rating:  
  
Distribution:Ask First.   
  
Notes:  
  
Dedication:Dedicated to the usual suspects; Bri, Mary, Duchess, Dale, Blaire, Stone Cold, Ice Wing, Arashi, Aslan, Vega, Tony D, Jen Zimmer, Louise, Sairs, and Queen Angel who have allowed me to bounce my ideas off them, and Krac, cause she has the evil bunny slippers.  
  
Secrets  
  
"I guess I just expected more from you two."  
  
"Clark, as far as I was concerned, other then the body splitting, Ian wasn't doing anything to Lana and I that you haven't."  
  
"She's right Clark."  
  
Clark Kent looked at two of his best friends like they were insane. Were they actually coming down on him for trying to protect them? "Are you insane?"  
  
Chloe set her drink aside, stood up and came toe to toe with him, "Tell us whatever secret it is you're hiding and we'll see."  
  
"I'm not hiding any secrets Chloe." He shook his head and stuffed his hands into his coat pockets, "To be honest, I'm getting tired of going around and round with you about this too…"  
  
Chloe scowled at him, "You're getting tired of this?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Lana stood up and tried to diffuse the situation, "Guys…"  
  
Chloe's scowl became almost deadly. "Then stop lying. C'mon Clark, for once in your life, tell the truth."  
  
Clark's jaw clenched and his eyes hardened, "You've got a lot of nerve Chloe." He took a step back and turned towards the door, "I thought we could be friends, because that's what you two keep saying you want, but I'm not sure I want that." His face darkened, "It might be better if we didn't talk anymore." He turned and stormed out of the Talon.   
  
He walked to the corner and was about to run at his full speed the rest of the way when he felt a hand on his shoulder, when he turned he found Lana. His resolve to end their friendship almost cracked just at the sight of the unshed tears in her eyes, "Clark… please."  
  
Clark clenched his eyes shut and shook his head, "I'm sorry Lana. Just… just leave me alone."  
  
Clark watched with horror as a tear slipped down her right cheek, "Is that really what you want?" He could only muster a nod. Lana seemed to wilt and her hand dropped to her side. "Alright. I'm sorry Clark." Lana turned and sprinted away. She stopped when the wind picked up and she heard a sonic boom behind her a moment later. She turned and saw that Clark was gone, leaving only swirling papers in his wake.  
  
***  
  
Clark yanked his locker open angrily while he suppressed the urge to throttle everyone he knew starting with his best friend, who had been harassing him since he showed up to give Clark a ride to school. He shrugged his coat off and began to jam it into the locker, "What do you want from me Pete?"  
  
"How about you make up with Chloe and Lana?" Clark scowled at the shorter man, "Don't give me that look Clark. Yeah, they didn't trust you, and they did treat you like some jealous ex-boyfriend, but look at it from their point of view…" If Pete had not known Clark as long or as well as he did, the pure death swirling in his eyes would have sent him screaming down the hall, especially knowing what he did know about Clark. However, he did know Clark, so the look did little to wilt his resolve, he continued. "Have you really given them a reason to trust you?"  
  
Clark yanked his books for his later classes out of his bag and slammed them into his locker, not acknowledging the sound of the sheet metal protesting the force he slammed the books with. He then zipped his bag closed, "We're not discussing this Pete. I can't tell them, you know what my parents would say." Clark noticed the familiar dark locks of Lana Lang approaching; at her side was Chloe Sullivan. "I'm outta here."  
  
Pete grabbed Clark's forearm, "Clark…"  
  
Clark's angered flared briefly and he slammed his locker closed. The door bounced opened so hard that it tore off its hinges and clattered on the floor. Pete released Clark's forearm and watched his friend give the new arrivals an extremely wide berth and make his way down the halls.  
  
Pete sighed and turned to Lana and Chloe. Chloe had picked up Clark's locker door and was inspecting it, while Lana had followed the retreating form of Clark Kent until he finally disappeared around the corner. Chloe handed Pete the door and he placed as best he could on the locker. Pete couldn't help but notice the storm clouds that were gathering in the blonde's eyes. "I can't believe him, he has the nerve to tell us off last night then be mad at us!"  
  
While Chloe was seething with anger, Lana was deflated and sullen looking, "Chloe…"  
  
"No Lana! I have half a mind to go tell Clark Kent where he can stick his righteous indignation…" She clenched her eyes shut and took a deep breath, "You know what, never mind, if he wants to be a spoiled brat, let him. I don't have the desire to deal with his crap anymore." She stalked off to her first class.  
  
Lana called after Chloe then sighed, "She took our fight with Clark last night pretty hard… She'll calm down I'm sure."  
  
Pete shook his head, "Somehow I doubt it."  
  
"It hurts Pete… it hurts that he can't trust me… us."  
  
Pete nodded, "Lana, not that I'm defending Clark, but did you ever stop to think that this secret of his might be hurting him too?" The first bell rang and Lana walked off to class. Pete watched her depart then hurried off to his first class.  
  
***  
  
Pete sat down next to Chloe as lunch began, he was about to try to get her to try to talk Clark, when he passed by their table without a word. Clark found a small table in the corner and sat down. He reached into his bag and produced a pair of headphones and a CD player. He placed the headphones on his ears and started the player, effectively shutting the world out. Lana approached Clark and tried to speak to him. Clark gave her a rather cold look before turning his player up louder, sending Lana and the rest of the lunchroom a very clear message to leave him alone. He stood up and left lunchroom.  
  
Pete heard Chloe mutter something rather unflattering about Mrs. Kent, followed by the scraping of her chair as she got up to leave. Meanwhile, Lana nearly fumbled her lunch tray then sat down with Pete. Pete sighed; he thought to himself that this had to stop. He knew that while Clark had firmly slapped on a front of annoyance and anger, he was hurting, the same with Chloe, and Lana looked like the life had been sucked right out of her.   
  
Since he had found out about Clark's heritage and secrets, he had known one thing for certain; between the emotional baggage, the hormones and Clark's secret, Clark, Lana and Chloe were a ticking time-bomb. Last night the timer had reached zero.  
  
Pete set his fork down and looked at his dining companion. "Lana, there's something you need to know… about Clark." Lana looked up at the mention of Clark, "I can't say it will fix things between you and Clark, in fact it will probably start whole new sets of problems, but I can say this. Once you know this, you will be able to see why Clark won't tell you."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
Shaking his head, Pete began to form a plan, "It's not something I can tell you, I'll have to show you. Come over to my house after school, okay?"  
  
***  
  
Jonathan Kent sighed as he tried to change the tractor's oil, more specifically; he tried to hobble around the barn to get the supplies. He looked at his watch and noticed that school had let out a few minutes ago. Clark was probably on his way to the Talon to hang out with Chloe Lana Pete and Lex. He turned to make his way back into the house to call Clark for some help when he saw the corn fields in the distance part in waves. He smiled as a blur shot across the yard and came to a stop in the form of his son in front of him. Clark smiled as he tossed his bag on the steps which led to his loft. "Hey Dad."  
  
Jonathan clasped his son on the shoulder, "Hi Clark." He turned back to the tractor, "Just in time. I was going to change the oil on the tractor."  
  
Clark smiled, "I can do that."  
  
"Clark I…" His protest was cut short as Clark gathered the supplies and pushed the tractor up on the ramp in less then the time it took for him to say as much as he did, he laughed, "Alright let me walk you through this; first we have to drain the oil…"  
  
***  
  
Lana walked up to Pete's door and knocked, after a moment Pete appeared. "Hey Lana."  
  
Lana tried to smile, but her heart wasn't in it, "Hi."  
  
Pete closed the door behind him and led Lana to his car, "Listen, Clark's mom is working with Lex's dad and I'm sure Clark and his dad are going to be getting supplies in town, so we'll be able to do this with less chance of getting caught."  
  
This time Lana actually smiled, amused by Pete speaking like they were breaking into LutherCorp or Star Labs in Metropolis. "Pete, what are we doing?" They got into the car and Pete reached into his pocket for his keys.  
  
Pete smiled as he turned the key in the ignition, "Lana, if I told you, you'd only discourage me."  
  
***  
  
"Ready Dad?"  
  
Jonathan climbed down the steps, still a little unsure on his crutches when it came to stairs. "Yeah Clark." They climbed into the truck and as Jonathan pulled on his seatbelt he turned to his son and said, "Clark. You didn't have to come home and help me; I know you want to spend time with your friends…"  
  
Clark shook his head emphatically, "Dad, trust me, I'd rather be here lending a hand, then at the Talon." He smiled and started the engine, "You're much better company."  
  
Jonathan laughed, "Better company then two pretty girls? I seriously doubt that." He noticed the dark look pass across his son's face, "Clark, whatever it is between you and your friends, don't let it get to you." Clark nodded, "Also, don't let it kill friendships that I know mean the world to you." He smiled and clasped the boy's shoulder, "You know?"  
  
Clark smiled, "Thanks Dad."  
  
"Hey, I may not be able to give you knowledgeable advice on your abilities, but friends and girls? Those are subjects I know a little about." Clark laughed as he backed out of the driveway. "Not a lot, but a little."  
  
***  
  
Pete smiled as Clark and his father drove off towards town. He put his car into gear and pulled up to the Kent's house. Killing the engine he turned to Lana, "Ready?"  
  
Lana looked at him, her eyes full of confusion, "Ready for what?"  
  
Pete smiled and opened his door, "To do something that will likely lead to me being strung up in the Kent barn." He got out, "C'mon." He started walking towards the doors of the storm cellar. He turned and found Lana still sitting in the car, "Lana, c'mon we don't know how long they'll be gone. I'd rather not be caught with our hands in the cookie jar."  
  
Lana laughed and got out of the car, "Pete, if you're just bringing me down to the storm cellar to kill and bury me, I'm going to be disappointed."  
  
Pete opened the doors and descended the steps with Lana following a few steps behind. When they reached to base of the steps, Pete flipped the light switch and walked over to a large object covered in a tarp. "Now Lana, before I tell you and show you Clark's secret, just promise me one thing."  
  
Lana tilted her head, "Promise what?"  
  
Pete's face turned very serious, "Don't hate Clark for this." With those words, Pete yanked the tarp away revealing a large metallic object.  
  
Lana crossed the cellar, drawn to the object; she reached out and confirmed that she was not imagining it. It was cold and smooth, she could see marking on it, and she could see scorch marks on it. "What is it?"  
  
She looked up and saw Pete standing on the other side of it, "It's how Clark got to Smallville."  
  
She looked at her friend in confusion, "I'm not following. It looks like a spaceship, are you implying that Clark is a… a um…"  
  
"An alien who crashed in a cornfield outside of town the day of The Meteor Shower, and stumbled across the Kents?" Lana felt the blood leaving her face, "Lana, this is what Clark's afraid of telling you, and it's tearing him up inside."  
  
***  
  
Clark pulled back up into the driveway, Jonathan shook his head, with a sigh he said, "I can't believe I forgot my wallet."  
  
Clark smiled and he put the car into park, "At least I'm getting U-turn practice."  
  
Jonathan smirked slightly as he and Clark got out of the car, "Where did you get such a smart mouth?"  
  
"From Mom, of course." He was about to run inside and grab his father's wallet when he noticed Pete's car parked in front of the barn, "Pete's here…"  
  
The elder Kent pointed to the storm cellar, "The storm cellar's open and the light's on."  
  
Clark turned to the storm cellar and concentrated, his X-ray vision allowed him to see inside and he found two people standing over the ship. "He's down there with someone. He might be in trouble."  
  
"Clark be care-" He sighed as his son sped into the cellar, "-ful. I really wish he wouldn't do that so much." He began to limp his way over to the cellar.  
  
***  
  
Lana turned towards the entrance when the sudden gust of wind whipped her hair around. She found Clark standing at the bottom of the steps, "Pete I… Oh God." Clark's face turned white and his jaw slackened.  
  
Lana crossed the cellar to him, "Clark… I… You… Is this true?"  
  
Clark seemed to be on the brink of tears, "Lana… I'm sorry."   
  
Before she could take another step, Clark was gone in a flash, literally. Lana ran up the steps after him, but all she found was a dust trail into the corn field and Clark's father. She called out in the hopes of him coming back, "CLARK!" She turned to see Clark's father limping towards the back porch, "Why did he run?"  
  
Jonathan Kent sighed and looked in the direction Clark had run off in, "Come inside Lana, I'll tell you a story."  
  
***  
  
Lana and Pete sat at the kitchen table while Jonathan stood at the back door, his eyes searching the horizon for his son. "Lana, what exactly did Pete tell you?"  
  
Lana traced patterns on the place mat in front of her and shrugged, "He said, Clark arrived in the ship in the cellar and found you and Mrs. Kent. I'm guessing that the meteor rocks have changed him."  
  
Jonathan shook his head, "No, Martha and I think those abilities are something he was born with. He was sent here… well, we don't know why he was sent here, but I've spent many a night watching him up in the loft and I have to believe that something bad was happening where his birth family was and that they sent him here to give him a life."  
  
"Why was he sorry?"  
  
"You see Lana, when Clark found out he wasn't from earth… Clark also found out about all the things that happen here in Smallville. He feels like it's his fault that all these things have happened. I can't imagine the amount of guilt he feels all the time, especially about what happened to your parents."  
  
Lana looked at her hands for a long time before she found words again, "Why would he feel guilty?"  
  
Jonathan sighed and looked out the window, hoping to see his son returning, "Because Lana, he feels that by being here, he's hurting you."  
  
***  
  
Lex looked up from his paperwork to find Clark standing in his office doorway. He started to smile until he saw the haunted look on his younger friend's face. "Clark, what happened?"  
  
Clark stepped into the office and began to inspect the books and artwork which lined the walls, "Lex, what if I told you I was from another planet?"  
  
This time Lex not only smiled, but was forced to suppress a laugh, "Clark, I can't say I'd be surprised. Let me guess, you finally found a planet full of Boy Scouts in that telescope of yours?" He stood up and came around his desk to cross the room. "Clark, if you told me you were from another planet, or that you were affected by the meteor rocks. Hell, even if you told me that you aspire to don spandex and a cape so you fight crime, it wouldn't change who you are in my eyes. I'm your friend Clark, and like any good friend, I'd support you." He leaned against the bookcase in front of Clark and smirked, "If you do decide to become a costumed crime fighter though, let me know in advance, I'll want to have my camera handy cause that'd be a sight I don't think I'd ever stop laughing over." Lex nodded approvingly when Clark laughed. "Now, what has caused your contemplative mood Clark?"  
  
Clark shook his head, "Did I ever tell you about the day my parents found me?"  
  
After a moment's thought, the older man shook his head, "No."  
  
Clark sighed, "It was the day of the meteor shower. I was about three at the time. My parents, the Kents, were driving back to their farm and they were nearly hit. Their truck rolled over into a ditch. When my father came to, he saw me. I just walked up to his truck." Clark turned and walked over to the fire place, "The police thought… they thought my parents were traveling the highway and pulled off the road to watch the meteor shower, they figured that I must have gotten away from the car and it was hit with my parents inside. I had no records they could find."  
  
Lex watched his friend from a distance, "Clark… I'm sorry."  
  
Clark nodded a silent thanks, he walked towards the door. "Thanks Lex. You're a good person."  
  
Lex smiled, "Don't let that get out, okay? It'll ruin my reputation." Clark laughed before leaving the office.  
  
***  
  
Lana looked around the Kent's living room. The walls were lined with photos, and with the exceptions of wedding photos, ninety-five percent of them were of Clark. She found images of Clark as a toddler, a small boy, some from his first day of school, a lot with Pete, a few of the later ones included Chloe. But one caught her eye above all the others, it was an older picture, she would guess Clark to be about four, or at least looked like a four year-old. He was perched on top of Mr. Kent's shoulders and held his arms out as though in flight. While Mr. Kent was smiling, Clark looked like he might explode with laughter. She noticed Clark's school photo from last year tucked in the bottom left corner and writing in the right, she immediately recognized Clark's lazy script; "To Mom, I am so thankful for you and Dad. Thank you for your love. Your Son, Clark."  
  
"Clark gave me the picture for Christmas last year." Lana jumped and found Mrs. Kent smiling sympathetically while Lana tried to sooth her jangled nerves. "I'm sorry dear."  
  
"It's alright Mrs. Kent. I shouldn't have been snooping."  
  
Mrs. Kent shook her head, "No you shouldn't have, but it's alright." She gave Lana a rather pointed look, which let the younger woman know it wasn't snooping at pictures she meant. The older woman turned to the pictures and smiled. "He was a happy child. He used to stick his arms out like that and run back and forth in the yard for hours, trying to fly." She laughed to herself, "He was convinced he could fly, he told me he dreamed of flying every night. To be honest, with all the other things he can do, I wouldn't be surprised if one day he told us that he could fly."  
  
Lana turned back to the picture and smiled at the image of five year-old Clark Kent racing through the yard trying to break free of gravity. "What happened?"  
  
"He had to start Junior High School, and suddenly his abilities kept him from fitting in, it's hard enough to fit in when you're a regular human being, but Clark's…"  
  
Lana nodded. "I'm beginning to see how special Clark really is."  
  
"Lana? Martha?" Lana turned to the kitchen and found Mr. Kent in the doorway, "The light in the loft is on."  
  
***  
  
Clark watched the storm clouds gathering to the west. It'd be raining in the morning. He and his father wouldn't be able to work on the fence in the south field like they had planned if it did rain. A cold breeze was settling in, confirming Clark's suspicions about the coming rain.  
  
"It feels like rain." Clark turned to find Lana at the top of the stairs. She smiled a little timidly at him, "I'm sorry if I disturbed you."  
  
He shook his head, "You didn't disturb me. I heard you crossing the driveway."  
  
Lana's cheeks turned pink, "I suppose you would hear me." She crossed the room slowly, "How well can you hear?"  
  
Clark closed his eyes and concentrated, "Dad's in the kitchen, he's probably writing checks because he's using a pen. Mom just put the kettle on the stove to boil some water. The cat is on the hunt on the far side of the barn, it sounds like a mouse is chewing on some of the chicken feed. There is change in your pocket and you heart started beating faster when you were at the bottom of the steps."  
  
Lana reached into her pocket and pulled out a hand-full of change, "Amazing. All the noise, does it, I mean, does the cat prowling out here in the barn keep you up at night?"  
  
Clark chuckled, "It did when I was younger. It started when I was eight, I had to take a week off school and mom and dad couldn't speak above a whisper even down stairs, it sounded like they were screaming. I've learned to control it though."  
  
Lana shook her head and turned towards the open loft door, Clark turned back to the storm clouds as well. She could see storm clouds gather in Clark's eyes that matched the ones on the horizon. "Clark, you never have to be sorry."  
  
Clark shook his head, "Lana… Because I'm here… I mean… I took your parents away."  
  
She turned Clark to face her, "No Clark, you didn't. Don't ever feel that way. It wasn't your fault. You couldn't have controlled what happened. You were a toddler."  
  
"But if, my birth parents hadn't sent me here…"  
  
"Then the Kents never wouldn't have known the joy of your smile, Pete and Chloe would have lost a wonderful friend, Lex would be dead and I…" She took a deep breath and continued, "I would have never known the love of my life." Clark turned crimson at her remark but she continued. "Your being here isn't a tragedy Clark, it's a miracle." He looked down at something on the floor, and Lana ducked down to catch his gaze. "You have touched so many lives, not to mention all the lives you've saved. Clark, I don't know why your birth parents sent you here, but if you were half as special to them as you are to us, I know it was because they wanted you to live and be happy. They wouldn't want you suffering." She ran her fingers across his cheek into his hair coming to a stop behind his head, "I don't want you suffering."   
  
She pulled him down to her and kissed him as hard as she could. He tensed for a moment but she persisted until he relaxed. She felt his arms wrap around her, his fingers tangled in her hair. She swallowed his sigh and traced his lips with the tip of her tongue before he parted his lips for her. She pressed as much of her body against him as she could and smiled when he wrapped his arms even more tightly around her. For a moment she worried he would crush her.  
  
He must have felt her tense slightly, because he pulled away and Lana had to stifle a whimper of protest. "Did I hurt you?"  
  
Lana smiled not only at his concern but the buzzing in her ears and the tingles that ran up and down her spine every time she took a breath, "No. But promise me one thing?"  
  
Clark reached out and smoothed her hair away from her face, "Anything."  
  
Her smiled turned wicked, "Promise you'll never show me how hard you can hug me." Clark's laughter carried out of the loft and across the Kent property. Lana smiled and took a step back; she took his hand and led him over to the loft door. She took a seat on the floor and let her feet dangle over the edge. Clark sat down next to her and let his feet dangle as well; he wrapped his arm over her shoulder. She smiled and nestled into his side. "So, tell me Clark, what exactly can you do?"  
  
Clark shrugged, she looked up into his eyes and wicked gleam appeared in his eyes, "I can make a mean peanut butter and honey sandwich."  
  
"Clark!"  
  
"Okay, well I was always pretty strong and fast. But lately other abilities have started, like I can see through things."  
  
Lana nodded then stopped and paled slightly, "Clark?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
She sat up straight and turned to him, "That day you fell while climbing the ropes in gym, I saw you after lunch and you wouldn't look me in the eye." Her suspicions were all but confirmed when Clark blushed and look away, "Clark did you see me naked?"  
  
Clark found the far wall extremely interesting, "Clark?"  
  
"Clark!"  
  
***  
  
Inside the house, Martha was about to follow Jonathan up the steps when she heard Lana shriek with anger and embarrassment, "CLARK KENT!"  
  
She looked up the stairs to see her husband smiling, "C'mon Martha, let's go to bed, I'm sure whatever he did, Lana will handle it."  
  
***  
  
Clark tried not to laugh as Lana slapped his arm, she punctuated each slap with; "I can't believe you looked in on me while I was naked!"  
  
Clark grabbed her wrists, "Lana, Lana! I didn't see you naked."   
  
Lana pulled her hands away, "You didn't?"  
  
"No," His eyes twinkled evilly for a moment, "You had underwear on." Clark immediately had to defend himself again.  
  
Lana eyed him for a moment, "Maybe I should line the walls in the women's locker room with lead." She smirked at him, "I wouldn't want you looking at the other girls."  
  
Clark smiled, "Lana, I promise, you're the only women I'd misuse my abilities for."  
  
"That's sweet Clark, though in a perverted way."  
  
"I try."  
  
***  
  
Chloe was awakened by a loud thunderclap, she blinked for a while and looked to her alarm clock, she sighed at the time; seven o'clock, she'd never get back to sleep, this ruined her Saturday already. She looked across the room wondering if Lana had awakened too. Her eyes widened when she noticed the other bed was not even slept in, where could her friend have been all night?  
  
She heard the slight whine of wet brakes outside and she crawled out of bed to look out the window. It looked like it would rain at any moment; she found the Kent's pick-up truck parked in front of her house. The doors opened and Clark and Lana jumped out of the truck. Clark came around the truck and Lana waited for him. The pair walked up the sidewalk to the front door hand-in hand. Chloe craned her neck until she found them standing on the front porch. They talked for a while before Clark and Lana leaned towards each other… Chloe looked away and could only say, "Wow."  
  
***  
  
Lana buried her face in Clark's chest for a while; just enjoying the feel of his arms wrapped around her, when she pulled back she couldn't help but giggle at the goofy grin that had been plastered on Clark's face all night. Clark had told her everything about his abilities. He also told her how hard it was to keep his secret and how after he kicked Pete's ass, he'd probably never be able to thank his friend enough. Lana smiled as Clark's hands ran over her arms warming her, "Can I see you this afternoon?"  
  
She pretended to contemplate for a moment, "Gee I don't know Clark." Clark looked down and flushed, "I have to work this afternoon, so why don't you come by the Talon?"  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Clark, this bashful thing you do," She paused to lift his chin so he made eye contact with him, "I have to say, it's pretty much adorable." She smiled and placed a kiss on his cheek. Her face turned serious, "Clark, you should talk to Chloe today, she deserves to know."  
  
Clark sighed and nodded, "I will, this afternoon, you know Chloe; she's probably sleeping the day away as we speak."  
  
Lana nodded, "I'll see you this afternoon, okay?"  
  
"I wouldn't miss it." He leaned down and kissed her before running back to the truck under the beginnings of the rain that would likely last the day.  
  
When he was halfway across the front yard, Lana called out to him, "Clark?"  
  
Clark turned back around, "Yes?"  
  
"I love you, you know?"  
  
Clark smiled, "I know Lana. I love you too."  
  
She couldn't help the blush that spread across her cheeks, "Good." Clark nodded be fore jogging back to his father's truck.   
  
She watched him drive away and disappear around a corner long before she turned and entered the house to find Chloe sitting at the dining room table with two cups of coffee, "So, you and Clark?"  
  
Lana crossed the room, "Chloe, I'd stay up and talk, but Clark and I were up all night talking, so I'm going to get a couple of hours of sleep before I have to go into work." She started up the steps but paused, "Chloe, I think you should talk to Clark today."  
  
Chloe scowled slightly, "Lana…"  
  
Lana nodded, "Chloe, just trust me okay?  
  
Chloe smiled, "No promises."  
  
Lana shrugged, "Fair enough." She then proceeded up the stairs.  
  
***  
  
Chloe was walking towards the Talon when she found Clark coming her way, "Hey Chloe."  
  
Chloe tried not to let the last couple of days get to her, but considering all that had happened since Ian went over the deep end, it was hard, "Hey Clark… So… You and Lana?"  
  
Clark shrugged and stuffed his hand in his pockets, "Yeah. Listen, I want… I mean, that is, could you spare some time for a walk?"  
  
Chloe nodded silently and she and Clark walked in the direction she had come from. They walked for a long time in silence, so long that Chloe became worried. She looked up and realized that they had ended up in the park, "So Clark, is this a cardio-workout, or are we going to talk?"  
  
Clark smiled before leading them to a picnic table; he looked around and saw no one near-by, "Chloe, can you keep a secret?"  
  
Chloe smiled, "As an old friend of mine has been known to say, 'I'm the Fort Knox of secrets.' So what is, you and Lana get married last night? Are you failing a class? What is it?"  
  
Clark took a deep breath then began, "There's something you need to know about Chloe, about me, and well…"  
  
--End-- 


End file.
